Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Hoping


Contrary to the right-wing view, neither I nor any liberals I know or read have wanted the Iraq war to fail, because failure (we still don't know, and may not for decades) would mean even more death and disaster for millions in the area, and for the entire world. As horrible and self-evident a mistake as it was, as predictably disastrous from before the beginning, once having lit the fire one can only hope for an acceptable quenching.

On the other hand, damn right I hoped Bush would fail in his attempts to abrogate the Constitution. Absolutely, I prayed for failure of his agenda of transforming the US into a theocracy. Without question, I railed against his economy-destroying tax cuts, even though they helped my personal bottom line.

There's an obvious distinction to be made, and it's amazing that people on the right can't see it. I refer, of course, to Limblahblah's overt desire to see Obama fail, and the lining up behind it of virtually every Congressional Republican. Those few who took meek exception repented in less time than it takes Oxycontin to dissolve in a generous gut. By the longest of shots, it's not the same.

I assume it needs explaining to a couple of my readers, so here it is: it's one thing to disagree with policies (it's even a better thing, when doing so, to propose useful alternatives.) In a time of general well-being, what's a bitter disagreement or two among friends? But this is different. It's as different from that as carcinomatosis is different from a skinned knee. If the state of the markets, the world-wide economy, the soaring unemployment numbers, the failure of actual countries and the near-failure of several of our states haven't convinced everyone that this is a precipice, then a few words won't, either. But it's all I've got (left).

When Republicans, walking happily in Rush's large shadow and taking advice from Joe the Whateverheisatthemoment and inspiration from a thirteen-year-old, agitate overtly and with churchly glee for the failure of Barack Obama, clearly they are hoping for the failure of this country. I'd love to ask them -- and, in fact, I wonder why none in the so-called liberal press has -- what, exactly, would their holy grailly failure look like? How many more unemployed per month than the six hundred thousand in each of the last few? How many more businesses gone? Life savings lost? Suicides? What would be the effects of Obama's (our) failure across the planet? How many additional people would starve, get sick, die? And, having witnessed this failure with the joy of contemplating end-times (meant quite literally: what's more appealing about the rapture than the idea that you'll be fine and all those people you never liked much will burn in oil for all of eternity? While you get to watch?) what, do they think, are the odds of being able to rebuild. And at what price?

Maybe it really is a faith-based belief that those who suffer deserve it, and their god (Republicans,' not the sufferers') will take care of them, the righteous; screw the poor and hungry? Sort of a reverse Jesus thing?

Or is that they, like Rush Limbonobo, are so fabulously wealthy that it just doesn't matter to them one damn bit?

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6 comments:

  1. The lecture from the thirteen-year-old was to lend CPAC some intellectual credibility.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Limblabla...loves it.

    I don't understand why it's okay for them to so vehemently hope for Obama's failure but any criticism of Bush and/or his policies were "un-American".

    It doesn't really matter what party you are, double standards and a selective memory are fucking ridiculous and irresponsible for elected officials when leading people and their lives. I really want to meet a Republican that can sleep at night.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Who's that kid?

    I didn't turn the volume on, but he immediately reminded me of Michael J- Fox' Alex from Family Ties.

    Only without the redeeming qualities.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That kid is hilarious. Has he actually been calling for Obama's failure? All I can find is his self-promotion.

    I agree with this response that a clear statement of Conservatism beats Ann Coulter any day. Explore the specific consequences of these core beliefs to decide whether they are as good as they sound. And he's clearer and more articulate than most conservative personalities.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Calling Rush "Limbonobo" sounded like a great idea at first read.

    Then I realized that it's a slur on bonobos. "One special feature observed in bonobo society is the low level of aggression between individual bonobos. Bonobos are less apt to engage in physical conflicts and confrontations with other groups of bonobos. Their generally peaceful society is attributed to the evolution of a highly complex social system."

    Now, does that sound like Limblabla to you?

    ReplyDelete
  6. You're right. Should have said Limbaboon.

    ReplyDelete

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